Ghasemi: We Will Continue Our Missile Program with Full Force

While the United States and several of its European allies have called for a halt to Iran's ballistic missile tests, Bahram Ghasemi, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, stated, "We will continue our path in the missile program with full force." Following Iran's launch of the Simorgh satellite launch vehicle, France, Germany, and the UK, along with the United States, issued a joint statement on Friday, August 6, demanding a stop to Iran's ballistic missile tests. Nevertheless, one day later, Bahram Ghasemi, in an exclusive interview with IRIB News Agency, reacted to new U.S. sanctions against Iran, saying, "The right to respond and take necessary measures against the U.S. action is reserved for us, and we will continue our path in the missile program with full force." The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson further stated, "We are carefully reviewing the provisions of this plan, but in general, we will address the military and missile issues of our country or the accusations of our support for terrorism that have been mentioned." The U.S. Senate approved a package of sanctions against Iran, North Korea, and Russia on Thursday. Two days earlier, this plan had been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives as well. This plan is a new version of a Senate proposal that was approved on June 15 with 98 votes in favor and 2 against. The previous Senate proposal, known as the "Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act," imposed sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile development, support for terrorism and militia groups, and human rights violations. For this bill to be enacted, it must be approved by U.S. President Donald Trump. The White House has stated that Trump will sign this bill. Separately, on Friday, the White House imposed new sanctions against Iran's missile program, one day after the Simorgh satellite launch vehicle test. In his continued reaction, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, "They may realize that they cannot easily and directly violate the JCPOA because it is a multilateral agreement; therefore, they try to reduce the positive effects of the JCPOA for Iran through peripheral issues and different actions." In response to the new U.S. sanctions, the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament also approved the generalities of a plan called "Countering U.S. Terrorist and Adventurous Actions in the Region" in an extraordinary session on Saturday. ISNA news agency reported that this commission will likely delve into the details of this plan next week. Previously, the Iranian government and parliament had approved similar measures in retaliation for U.S. sanctions, which were largely symbolic. Both Iran and the U.S. accuse each other of being destabilizing factors in the Middle East. Meanwhile, Eshaq Jahangiri, the First Vice President of Iran, on Wednesday referred to the new U.S. sanctions and stated, "If the other party takes any action that the JCPOA monitoring commission, headed by the President, determines to be contrary to the JCPOA, the Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly respond strongly." Jahangiri said the aim of the Americans is to "portray Iran as a violator of the JCPOA in the international arena and to create a consensus against Iran." The Iranian Vice President stated that one of the goals of the U.S. is to prevent international investment in Iran. Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the nuclear agreement with Iran during his election campaign and after taking office, calling it the worst deal he has ever seen. During his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia, the U.S. President called for the isolation of Iran due to its support for "terrorism" and "sectarianism" in the region. In another development, the U.S., UK, France, and Germany condemned the Simorgh missile test in a joint statement, deeming it "inconsistent" with UN Security Council Resolution 2231. According to this resolution, Iran is prohibited from testing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. However, Iran claims that its ballistic missiles are not designed to carry nuclear warheads. The U.S. has stated that Iran has not adhered to the spirit of the JCPOA; Iran, in turn, argues that the new sanctions and disruptions to investment in Iran contradict the spirit of the JCPOA. Meanwhile, Abbas Araghchi, the Deputy for Legal and International Affairs at the Foreign Ministry, stated on Wednesday that the U.S. has not yet "grossly" violated the JCPOA. The U.S. President has warned Iran in a speech to adhere to the nuclear agreement; otherwise, it will face "big problems." Mike Pompeo, the Director of the CIA, has also described Iran as a very serious threat to U.S. interests, stating that the Trump administration is making "fundamental changes" in Washington's policies towards Tehran and countering what it calls Iran's "expansionism."